TOUGH WEEK FOR SSL

O-30 & O-40 BOTH LOSE

On Tuesday, the O-40 side took the field against the first place Lampert side, just two points behind in 2nd place. By winning this match they could take over first with just two games to go in the session. It was not to be.

Once again, which has been a trend lately, the SSL side was short at the outset, missing five of their players. This would be a factor late in the game. They traded goals with Lampert, tying the game at two late in the half, on goals by Marty Issa & Ken Brigden. However, just before the half, Lampert scored to take a 3-2 lead, & they held that lead to the interval.

The 2nd half fatigue tooks its toll on the SSL players. Many of the players had just returned from the Indy Tourney just two days prior & had little gas left in the tank as the 2nd half unfolded. Lampert continued to press the attack, moving the ball crisply, getting open shots & netting another two goals, taking a 5-2 lead that the SSL had no answer for. Although SSL netminder John Kozuscek was up to the task, there was just too much leather being thrown at him to turn back them all.

That loss changed the complexion of the standings. Now SSL must win next Tuesdays match @ 8:25 against current 2nd place team Vetta Red whom they lost to 5-4 the last time these two met. SSL has seven points to Reds nine, &, with a win, could leapfrog them, back into second place & put SSL back in the championship picture. However, that will be no easy task. So stay tuned. See you next Tuesday.

Thursday, second place SSL O-30 took on Sinclair & Rush, sitting just one point behind them in the standings. With just two games to go in the session, this match could mean the difference between playing for first or third. Without a doubt, it was a big game.

The first half was fairly even, with both sides trading scoring chances, but at the same time, playing strong if not stellar defense. Then, S&R broke thru first with a goal early in the first half. However, SSL came right back with a goal of thier own on a perfectly placed upper 90 ball off of a dead-ball foul by David Hipperson.

But frustratingly, S&R came right back with a goal of their own to up the score to 2-1 on an unfortunate chain of events. S&R cleared the ball out of their defensive end toward the SSL end of the field. However, the SSL players were slow to get back, forcing goalie Tony Meadows to come out of the box to clear the ball. Unfortunately, one of the S&R defenders intercepted the ball, sent it to a teammate at midfield, where he calmly lofted the ball into the vacated SSL goal for the score. Shortly thereafter, Jayson Adelsberger made a run thru the box that Hipperson spotted, slotted him the ball perfectly & Adelsberger re-directed it into the back of the net, knotting the score at two. That's the way the half ended. The frustration continued in the second half.

As happens more often then not, a score by an opponent in the first minute of a game, or a minute before or after the half, can be a hugely demoralizing score. That's exactly what happened at the beginning of the second half. An S&R forward managed to carry the ball past several SSL defenders & deposit the ball into the back of the net with less than a minute elapsed off the clock at the start of the second half putting SSL a goal down at the start of the second half. Adelsberger & Hipperson each netted another goal in the second, with each goal tying the game. However, each time they scored, S&R came right back with a goal of their own to take back the lead. 

Additionally, two of S&R's second half goals came off dead-ball situations which should be preventable. They weren't.  It just appeared that SSL could never catch up, gain the momentum  & at the same time, slow down the S&R scoring chances. Other than a late window-dressing tally by Guillermo Cortez, SSL didn't create enough offense, but, more importantly, didn't play good team defense. Any time a team gives up five goals in one half, you can't expect to win. That was the case this particular evening & SSL couldn't win.

With that loss, up in smoke went their chances for a championship berth this session. There is a mathmatical chance that they could get to second place, but, they will depend on the help of other teams at this point. SSL has to win their final match of the session next week versus Maddox @ 11 pm on field #1, & hope that both PLS Zoom & Sinclair & Rush lose. Pretty slim chance of all that happening. But, as they say, that's why they play the games. Thanks for reading. See you Thursday.

SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-40
	NAME		GAMES	GOALS	ASSISTS	POINTS
	JOHNNY PENS		5	5	5	15
	BOB JANKO		5	3	7	13
	JOE BAER		3	3	4	10
	CHRIS CARPENTER		2	3	1	7
	DOMINIC ANIC		3	1	0	2
	MARTY ISSA		4	2	0	4
	JOHN KOZUSCEK		4	1	0	2
	KEN BRIGDEN		3	2	0	4
	MIKE HARTSOOK		4	0	1	1
	WALLY STOKES		4	0	1	1
	STEVE RANKIN		0	0	0	0
	JIM AHEARN		0	0	0	0
	TIM KELLEY		0	0	0	0
	STEVE SCHLICHTIG		0	0	0	0
	TODD LORETTA		0	0	0	0

 Schedule

Date			Location
Tue 6/16 8:25 PM	W 4-3	Lampert 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 6/30 7:35 PM	T 6-6	Vintage Utd 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 7/7 8:25 PM	W 5-1	Vetta 40+ BLUE	Concord, Field 3
Tue 7/14 7:35 PM	L 4-5	at Vetta 40+ RED TEAM	Concord, Field 3
Tue 7/21 7:35 PM	L 2-5	Lampert 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 8/4 8:25 PM	50 minutes	at Vetta 40+ RED TEAM	Concord, Field 3

	SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-30
	NAME		GAMES	GOALS	ASSISTS	POINTS
	JAYSON ADELSBERGER		6	7	3	17
	RONNIE ROWDEN		4	4	2	10
	GUILLERMO CORTEZ		6	4	4	12
	JOHNNY PENS		5	3	2	8
	SLADAN KURTOVIC		5	2	3	7
	BERNARD ANIC		5	3	0	6
	DAVID HIPPERSON		3	3	4	10
	JAMES AHEARN		1	1	0	2
	EDIN CORALIC		3	1	0	2
	TONY MEADOWS		6	0	2	2
	WILL SUK		4	0	1	1
	DAVID SHELTON		4	0	1	1
	MIKE HOGAN		5	0	0	0
	CASEY WALSH		6	0	0	0
	MICHAEL POROPAT		0	0	0	0

 Schedule

Date			Location
Thu 6/11 6:50 PM	W 2-1	Zoom Motors	Concord, Field 1
Thu 6/18 8:30 PM	L 3-7	at Freaky Shakra(WHITE/BLUE)	Concord, Field 1
Thu 6/25 7:30 PM	T 5-5	at CD Cobras(BLUE)	Concord, Field 3
Thu 7/2 8:20 PM	W 10-3	at Imos Men (GREEN)	Concord, Field 3
Thu 7/9 7:10 PM	L 3-5	Hoosier FC(BLACK)	Concord, Field 2
Thu 7/23 10:10 PM	L 5-7	Sinclair & Rush	Concord, Field 1
Thu 7/30 11:00 PM	50 minutes	Maddox 40+(BLACK)	Concord, Field 1

O-40 NEVER GAINS LEAD

FURIOUS COMEBACK FALLS SHORT

An all-game struggle for SSL resulted in coming up short & a loss in a difficult game. SSL fell behind early 1-0. Shortly thereafter, SSL tied it 1-1. Vetta Red went ahead 2-1, but SSL battled back to knot the score at 2 all.

But, just minutes before the half, Vetta scored thier 3rd, taking a 3-2 lead. SSL could never close the gap & headed to the interval, down 3-2. The match was a struggle from the outset. Starting short-handed once again, SSL could never quite get the soccer machine to hit on all cylinders. They would have flashes of brilliance followed by moments when it appeared they had never played together before. That is a bad combination, & Vetta Red took advantage of this lack of cohesiveness.

The 2nd half was more of the same. Each team traded goals shortly after the break making the score 4-3. However, once SSL had all their players they finally started applying pressure.That resulting pressure on Vetta Red produced the tying goal at 4-4 & the future looked bright. But hold the phone.

On a misplay in the SSL backfield, Vetta Red pounced on a loose ball, tapped it into the back of the goal, taking a 5-4 lead with a little less than 10 minutes left in the game. Not to worry. Plenty of time & SSL was playing well. Then the other shoe dropped.

With just under 6 minutes left in the game, SSL made a substitution mistake, which for all intents and purposes, was the final nail in the coffin. As one of the SSL forwards was exiting the field, a second SSL player entered the field, however, the exiting player was not yet off. As luck would have it, the entering player was struck with the ball, & of course, the exiting player was not yet off. Red card, player down, 5 minutes left, momentum torpedoed. SSL could never recover.

After the penalty, with less than 3 minutes left, SSL just could not recapture the previous momentum & Vetta Red rode the 5-4 lead to a win. It was unfortunate. But, it was the old story, too little, too late. Had SSL been able to play with the conviction & fluidity in the first half that they displayed in the second half, they may well have had no problem posting a win in this match. But, it was not to be. They were short to start the match, played poorly in the first half, picked up the pace in the second, had a misplay on defense, suffered an inadvertant penalty, & that was all she wrote.

So, back to the drawing board for next week. Tied for 2nd place with 3 matches left, their quest for a championship berth is still in their hands. Up next will be a tough match versus the first place team, Lampert @ 7:35. So, they can still do it, but, they'll need all their players, & they need to play well from the start of the game, not the start of the second half. See you next week. Thanks for reading.

SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-40
	NAME		GAMES	GOALS	ASSISTS	POINTS
	JOHNNY PENS		4	5	5	15
	BOB JANKO		4	3	6	12
	JOE BEHR		2	3	3	9
	CHRIS CARPENTER		2	3	1	7
	DOMINIC ANIC		3	1	0	2
	MARTY ISSA		3	1	0	2
	JOHN KOZUSCEK		3	1	0	2
	KEN BRIGDEN		2	1	0	2
	MIKE HARTSOOK		3	0	1	1
	WALLY STOKES		3	0	1	1
	STEVE RANKIN		0	0	0	0
	JIM AHEARN		0	0	0	0
	TIM KELLEY		0	0	0	0
	STEVE SCHLICHTIG		0	0	0	0
	TODD LORETTA		0	0	0	0

Date			Location
Tue 6/16 8:25 PM	W 4-3	Lampert 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 6/30 7:35 PM	T 6-6	Vintage Utd 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 7/7 8:25 PM	W 5-1	Vetta 40+ BLUE	Concord, Field 3
Tue 7/14 7:35 PM	L 4-5	at Vetta 40+ RED TEAM	Concord, Field 3
Tue 7/21 7:35 PM	50 minutes	Lampert 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 8/4 7:35 PM	50 minutes	at Vintage Utd 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 8/4 8:25 PM	50 minutes	at Vetta 40+ RED TEAM	Concord, Field 3

SSL SPOTS HOOSIERS 4 1ST HALF GOALS

2ND HALF COMEBACK FALLS SHORT

In an effort to keep all the teams in our division from playing a division opponent twice, Concord has established what they call the "Flex Schedule", scheduling each of the teams in our division one match against the upper division. This week it was SSL turn, drawing a strong opponent in the form of the Hoosier F.C., a two time division winner. It would be a difficult test, a barometer to measure the strength of the SSL side versus the upper division. In spite of the outcome, the jury is still out.

SSL O-30 fell behind quickly, &, for all intents a purposes, that was the game. No matter their furious comeback in the 2nd half, they were down too many goals with not enough time, to recover.

Less than 5 minutes into the game, SSL found themselves down 2-0 on scores that were, shall we say, gifts. To be fair, the Hoosiers were pressuring mightily, peppering keeper David Shelton & the SSL defense with shots. But again, nothing particularly dangerous. The SSL defense was bending, but, to that point, not breaking.

But the SSL side as a whole, either weren't playing their game or were being prevented from doing so by the Hoosiers. They couldn't collect the ball, or did so with difficulty, & then when they did, turned the ball right back over to the Hoosiers, who then continued the attack. It was this type of situation that resulted in the two scores for the Hoosiers, with the ball being given right back to them, creating chances & then, ultimately, the ball found its way to the back of the net. Not on blistering shots, but rather, balls bouncing thru the box & resulting in a tap-in for the Hoosiers. It was just too much from which to recover.

On the other end of the field, the Hoosiers keeper made brilliant save after brilliant save throughout, stoning the SSL attack, & turning back shots that looked as if there was no way he'd get to them. In spite of the SSL travails on the defensive end, they were putting together a solid, if not spectacular, attack themselves. Two SSL shots, earmarked for the upper left & right ninty respectively were turned away by the Hoosier keeper, to the point where the referee almost had to take the goals back off the scoreboard, so sure we were that those shots were in. In one spectacular sequence, a SSL forward hit a bomb which the keeper dove to his right, got a hand on, knocking it back into the middle of the box where Jayson Adelsberger pounced on it, hitting a one-time lazer. From out of nowhere, the keeper darted back to the middle of the box, rejecting the shot, & once again, letting the air out of the SSL balloon.

SSL found thier sea legs in the 2nd half, holding the Hoosiers to 1 goal, after they held a 4-0 advantage at the interval. But, it was a case of too little, too late. They spotted the Hoosiers that 4-0 half-time lead & just didn't have enough in the tank to overcome it. 2nd half scores by Jayson Adelsberger, Ronnie Rowden & Guillermo Cortez narrowed the score to the final 5-3 margin, but could draw no closer.

Following the game, one of the Hoosier players told a SSL player that the reason they won two consecutive sessions in their division was due to their keeper. Enough said. We're convinced.

In spite of that loss, SSL still finds themselves in 2nd place in the division. The next two matches loom large. Sinclair & Rush in the first game back after next weeks bye week, followed up by old friends, Maddox. It's imperative that SSL win both those winable matches. Should they do so, they'll be in the finals once again. If not, well, time for another Bar B Q. Thanks for reading.

SSL O-40 STARTS SHORT-HANDED

WIN GOING AWAY

The SSL O-40 side started the game with only 3 players. Not a good start. But, as the tardy players slowly arrive, so did too their offense. They started slowly, not scoring til the middle of the 1st half, & immediately gave up the tying goal. Truly a rough beginning.

But, with the addition of their missing players, the offense kicked into another gear. They played a lot pf possession, creating many opportunites that the Vetta Blue keeper punched, kicked & slapped away, but eventually, started finding the back of the net.

Stretching the lead to 3-1 at half, they didn't look back. Netting two more 2nd half goals solidified their lead & at that point put it on cruise control, turning back all Vetta Blue attacks, & closed out the game with a solid 5-1 win.

With that win, SSL strengthened their hold on 2nd place, only 2 points behind 1st place Lampert, but, with a game in hand. They've postiioned themselves nicely for another run at a championship. Up next @ 7:35 will be a very difficult Vetta Red side. In the last two matches versus Red, SSL tied 4-4 & won 8-5. It should be a good one. Hope to see you there.

 INDY

It's almost here. Next weekend, July 18th & 19th. The Indy O-30 & O-40 rosters are filled & ready to go. But, boy's & girl's, you always know how that goes, so, stay tuned.

We'll be staying at the same hotel we stayed at last year, The Jameson Inn on 4402 East Creek View Rd., phone  317-784-7006. I've also attached a link to their website. When you call, make sure you say you're with Soccer St. Louis in order to get the great $81 per night rate, arranged by one of the girls on Jeannie Curry's team, Melissa. So make sure when you see her you say thanks. 

https://mycrs.innpoints.com/book/book/Wizard?search=true

Projected Indy Rosters                    7/18 & 7/19, 2009

O-30

1.    ?

2.    Casey Walsh

3.    Andy Carpenter

4.    Tony Meadows

5.    Sladan Kurtovic

6.    David Hipperson

7.    Jayson Adelsberger

8.    Edin Coralic

9.    Chris Carpenter

10.  Guillermo Cortez

11.  Mondo Martinez

12.  Tom Carpenter

O-40

1.     Todd Loretta

2.     Tim Kelley

3.     Johnny Pens

4.     Bob Janko

5.     Dan Albes

6.     Steve Rankin

7.     Wally Stokes

8.     Ken Brigden

9.     Mike Hogan

10.   Ronnie Rowden

11.   Matt Ruhl

12.   Ed Postawko

	SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-30
	NAME		GAMES	GOALS	ASSISTS	POINTS
	JAYSON ADELSBERGER		5	5	3	13
	RONNIE ROWDEN		4	4	2	10
	GUILLERMO CORTEZ		5	3	4	10
	JOHNNY PENS		4	3	2	8
	SLADAN KURTOVIC		4	2	3	7
	BERNARD ANIC		5	3	0	6
	DAVID HIPPERSON		2	1	2	4
	JAMES AHEARN		1	1	0	2
	EDIN CORALIC		2	1	0	2
	TONY MEADOWS		5	0	2	2
	WILL SUK		3	0	1	1
	DAVID SHELTON		4	0	1	1
	MIKE HOGAN		4	0	0	0
	CASEY WALSH		5	0	0	0
	MICHAEL POROPAT		0	0	0	0

Date			Location
Thu 6/11 6:50 PM	W 2-1	Zoom Motors	Concord, Field 1
Thu 6/18 8:30 PM	L 3-7	at Freaky Shakra(WHITE/BLUE)	Concord, Field 1
Thu 6/25 7:30 PM	T 5-5	at CD Cobras(BLUE)	Concord, Field 3
Thu 7/2 8:20 PM	W 10-3	at Imos Men (GREEN)	Concord, Field 3
Thu 7/9 7:10 PM	L 3-5	Hoosier FC(BLACK)	Concord, Field 2
Thu 7/23 10:10 PM	50 minutes	Sinclair & Rush	Concord, Field 1
Thu 7/30 11:00 PM	50 minutes	Maddox 40+(BLACK)	Concord, Field 1

 

SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-40
	NAME		GAMES	GOALS	ASSISTS	POINTS
	JOHNNY PENS		3	3	5	11
	BOB JANKO		3	3	4	10
	JOE BEHR		2	3	3	9
	DOMINIC ANIC		2	1	0	2
	MARTY ISSA		2	1	0	2
	JOHN KOZUSCEK		2	1	0	2
	MIKE HARTSOOK		2	0	1	1
	WALLY STOKES		2	0	0	0
	KEN BRIGDEN		2	1	0	0
	STEVE RANKIN		0	0	0	0
	JIM AHEARN		0	0	0	0
	TIM KELLEY		0	0	0	0
	STEVE SCHLICHTIG		0	0	0	0
	TODD LORETTA		0	0	0	0

Date			Location
Tue 6/16 8:25 PM	W 4-3	Lampert 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 6/30 7:35 PM	T 6-6	Vintage Utd 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 7/7 8:25 PM	W 5-1	Vetta 40+ BLUE	Concord, Field 3
Tue 7/14 7:35 PM	50 minutes	at Vetta 40+ RED TEAM	Concord, Field 3
Tue 7/21 7:35 PM	50 minutes	Lampert 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 8/4 7:35 PM	50 minutes	at Vintage Utd 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 8/4 8:25 PM	50 minutes	at Vetta 40+ RED TEAM	Concord, Field 3